Jiangjin Hui Long Zhuang Scenic Area

Jiangjin Hui Long Zhuang Scenic Area

Jiangjin Hui Long Zhuang Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Hui Long Zhuang in Shuangfengchang, Simian Mountain Scenic Area, is the largest watchtower complex in Chongqing and is known as the “Number One Manor in Southwest China.” The manor faces north and sits to the west, covering an area of approximately 21,000 square meters. It currently features one large and one small watchtower, 16 courtyards, 18 patios, 1,084 doors, and a total of 202 dwellings scattered throughout in an exquisite layout. The pavilions and towers throughout the estate were once adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, colorful paintings, and gilded decorations. The entire manor is grand in scale, majestic in presence, luxurious and elegant, and imposingly dignified.

A watchtower is a type of structure used for defense and lookout. Across the land of Bashu (Sichuan and Chongqing), the Hui Long Zhuang watchtower was considered a high-rise building in Chongqing over a hundred years ago, and its architectural level still amazes experts today. The yellow watchtower is the most eye-catching building in Hui Long Zhuang. It has five stories and is 38 meters tall, constructed entirely of wood and earth, with walls over half a meter thick. It is the tallest preserved watchtower in Chongqing. The manor was built by the Wang family, starting in the seventh year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty and completed in the seventh year of the Republic of China, spanning six generations and 116 years.

There are two versions regarding the origin of Hui Long Zhuang. One says it was built by the Wang family, and the manor is still inhabited by descendants of the Wangs—Wang Qili, the 13th-generation inheritor. According to him, the Wang ancestors originally came from Xiaogan in Macheng, Hubei Province. During the Qing Dynasty, four generations of the family served as convoy officers. However, after losing a national treasure during a transport mission, to avoid being implicated and having the entire clan punished, ancestor Wang Shiwen ordered his family to flee westward while he stayed behind to take the blame. His pregnant wife, along with family members and a few loyal servants, escaped from Hubei and arrived in Shuangfeng, Jiangjin, where she gave birth to a son, Wang Wenjie. This is how they settled in Shuangfeng. Later, the Wang family gradually prospered, and there are many versions of how that happened. One says Wang Wenjie learned the art of feng shui and yin-yang and made a fortune helping landlords trade land; another says he became famous for his artistic skills and earned wealth through performance; yet another claims he sold the gold and silver he brought from Hubei to buy land. It’s said that at their peak, the Wang family's land stretched as far south as Guizhou, west to Hejiang County, east to Qijiang, and north to Lishi Town in Jiangjin, earning them the nickname “Wang Half-County.” At that time, the Wang family collected more than a thousand dan (a unit of volume) of rent per year. Elderly villagers recall that during the late Qing and early Republican period, every Spring Festival, beggars from across the county would come here because it was an unwritten rule that the Wang family opened their granaries to give alms.

The wealth of the Wang family in those days was extraordinary, even making the bandits of “Bang Bang” from northern Guizhou green with envy. During the late Qing and early Republican period, over a thousand bandits laid siege to Hui Long Zhuang for a whole month. Though the bandits outnumbered the defenders, their arson and cannon attacks proved ineffective, and the watchtowers were impenetrable to swords and bullets, rendering the attack unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the local guards stationed in the large and small watchtowers continuously fought back, inflicting heavy casualties on the bandits, who were ultimately defeated and fled. To this day, the main gate of the manor still bears numerous axe marks, sword cuts, and bullet scars.

Today, on the western edge of the manor grounds lies the grand tomb of Wang Wenjie, nestled among the fields. Over the years, it has been visited by tomb raiders, leaving only half of the tomb remaining. Weeds, including reeds, grow atop the mound, but the dragons and phoenixes carved on the tombstone remain vivid, with the inscriptions “Xiushui” (Beautiful Water) and “Yongheng” (Eternal) still clearly visible on the left, faintly reflecting the former glory of the Wang family.

Another theory about the origin of Hui Long Zhuang suggests that the Wang family was merely its guardian, and the true owner was none other than Heshen, the notoriously corrupt official of the Qing Dynasty. Why is that said?

First, more than ten pieces of Qing Dynasty Qianlong-era imperial artifacts have been unearthed in Chongqing, half of which came from Jiangjin, and all of those were found in Hui Long Zhuang. Just imagine, how could a secluded manor belonging to an obscure and unremarkable family possess so many imperial items from Emperor Qianlong? And the most likely person in the Qing Dynasty to have obtained a large number of Qianlong imperial artifacts would be Heshen, regarded as Qianlong’s confidant.

Second, the overall layout of Hui Long Zhuang was extremely bold for the Qing Dynasty and could even be interpreted as harboring rebellious intentions—punishable by the extinction of the entire clan. What was the architectural layout of Hui Long Zhuang? It was entirely built along the central axis of the Forbidden City, using 118 whole stone pillars. According to research, these whole stones were not commonly found around Simian Mountain. Even with modern tools, it takes a craftsman over a year to carve just one such pillar. These 118 whole stone pillars, crafted without any modern machinery, represent an enormous construction project. Among them, there were even stone pillars intended for ornamental columns that were never installed.

At the main gate of the manor, there are also two majestic couplets that seem to reach the heavens:

Front horizontal inscription: Hui Long Zhuang; Upper line: Through the ages, palace walls shine under the sun and auspicious clouds; Lower line: Across the land, rituals and music flow with the vital energy of harmony.

Back horizontal inscription: Dragon Singing, Phoenix Dancing; Upper line: High towers stand, courtyards are deep, long corridors and jade steps welcome honored guests; Lower line: Ancient nanmu trees tower above, streams murmur gently, tall walls and white houses reflect the setting sun.

This shows the immense wealth and daring ambition of the person who built this manor.

Furthermore, at one time, there were over 20,000 nanmu trees around the manor, each requiring at least three people to encircle with their arms. However, almost all of these nanmu trees were cut down during the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing Railway to be used as railway sleepers, leaving only a few remaining today—a truly lamentable sight. The presence of such a large number of massive nanmu trees around a single manor also indicates the extraordinary wealth of its residents.

Finally, the drainage system of Hui Long Zhuang is remarkable, and its drainage outlets remain a mystery to this day. Hui Long Zhuang has never experienced water shortages, nor has it ever suffered from flooding due to heavy rainfall. Rainwater is efficiently drained through the manor’s drainage system. Experiments have been conducted where white paper and ash were thrown into the drainage outlets, and searches for the exit points were carried out around the manor and even down the mountain—but no outlets were found. For hundreds of years, the drainage system has never clogged. Compared to the “urban flooding” seen in many Chinese cities after heavy rain, the architectural wisdom of Hui Long Zhuang remains well worth our study and reference.

Today, strolling quietly through Hui Long Zhuang leaves one lingering in awe and deep in thought. Feelings of “since ancient times heroes have all been thus, and outstanding figures have always been like this” well up inside, and the dreamlike, ethereal feeling of a royal palace will leave you with endless aftertaste…

Scenic Area Address: Shuangfengchang, Bailin Town, Jiangjin, Chongqing

Transportation: Take a direct bus to Simian Mountain from Longtousi Bus Station in Chongqing; or take a bus from Chongqing to Jiangjin, then transfer to a bus to Simian Mountain at Jiangjin Passenger Transport Center.